Yaako Warrior from AUZ, Germany, RSA, USA, Sweden, Hong Kong, Canada,
Russia, China, Denmark, UK, .........., the slayer of fecal stained
moslems. wrote:
> Yaako Warrior from AUZ, China, RSA, USA, Sweden, Hong Kong, Canada,
> Russia, China, Denmark, UK, .........., the slayer of ****skin moslems.
> wrote:
>> Yaako Warrior from AUZ, Germany, RSA, USA, Sweden, Hong Kong, Canada,
>> Russia, China, Denmark, UK, .........., the slayer of fecal stained
>> moslems. wrote:
>>> Yaako Warrior from AUZ, China, RSA, USA, Sweden, Hong Kong, Canada,
>>> Russia, China, Denmark, UK, .........., the slayer of ****skin
>>> moslems. wrote:
>>>> I wipe my ASS on Mohammed's FACE! wrote:
>>>>> The Confusion Concerning Identity of the Spirit and Gabriel in the
>>>>> Quran
>>>>> Another Muslim website (*) has taken aim at trying to refute some
>>>>> of the
>>>>> long list of Quran contradictions found on our site (*). The first
>>>>> thing
>>>>> that one notices about this site is that although they are clearly
>>>>> trying to
>>>>> refute our web page they fail to produce a link to our site or
>>>>> section in
>>>>> general, or even a link to the specific article which they are
>>>>> seeking to
>>>>> refute.
>>>>>
>>>>> As the Lord Jesus permits and enables us to do so, we will be
>>>>> addressing
>>>>> some of their responses and ignore those which we feel have already
>>>>> been
>>>>> addressed on our site. In this present article, I will interact
>>>>> with their
>>>>> response (*) to our question whether it was Gabriel or the Holy
>>>>> Spirit that
>>>>> supposedly revealed the Quran to Muhammad (*).
>>>>>
>>>>> One thing that will immediately stick out from our discussion of
this
>>>>> rebuttal is how casual the author is in assuming his position
without
>>>>> bothering to prove it. For instance, the author will cite
>>>>> references that he
>>>>> thinks sup****t his view without first proving that his
>>>>> understanding of
>>>>> these texts is necessarily correct. He will cite a passage where he
>>>>> thinks
>>>>> the word Ruh (Arabic for Spirit) refers to a human soul, but never
>>>>> explains
>>>>> why he thinks it does. He basically assumes what he has yet to
>>>>> prove, which
>>>>> makes it a little frustrating to deal with his points since there
>>>>> is not
>>>>> much to refute apart from highlighting the circular nature of his
>>>>> argumentation.
>>>>>
>>>>> The author proceeds to cite a list of references where Muslim
>>>>> commentators
>>>>> have understood texts using the words "Holy Spirit," "Trustworthy
>>>>> Spirit" as
>>>>> referring to Gabriel.
>>>>>
>>>>> The author then cites and comments on the following narrations:
>>>>>
>>>>> Al-Bukhari recorded `A'ishah saying that the Messenger of Allah
>>>>> erected
>>>>> a Minbar in the Masjid on which Hassan bin Thabit (the renowned
>>>>> poet) used
>>>>> to defend the Messenger of Allah (with his poems). The Messenger of
>>>>> Allah
>>>>> said, "O Allah! Aid Hassan with Ruh Al-Qudus, for he defended Your
>>>>> Prophet."(fn. Fath Al-Bari 10:562).
>>>>>
>>>>> Abu Dawud recorded this Hadith in his Sunan (fn. Abu Dawud
>>>>> 5:279) as did
>>>>> At-Tirmidhi who graded it Hasan Sahih (fn. Tuhfat Al-Ahwadhi 8:137).
>>>>> Further, Ibn Hibban recorded in his Sahih that Ibn Mas`ud said that
>>>>> the
>>>>> Prophet said, "Ruh Al-Qudus informed me that no soul shall die
>>>>> until it
>>>>> finishes its set provisions and term limit. Therefore, have Taqwa
>>>>> of Allah
>>>>> and seek your sustenance in the most suitable way."(fn. See
As-Sunnah
>>>>> 14:304). (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Darussalam Publishers &
>>>>> Distributors,
>>>>> 2000, vol. 1, pp. 288-289)
>>>>>
>>>>> These narrations demonstrate that the correct understanding of
>>>>> the title
>>>>> "Ruh Al-Qudus" (Holy Spirit) is that it was a title of Angel
>>>>> Jibreel. In
>>>>> another place, Allah refers to him as Ruh Al-Ameen (the Trustworthy
>>>>> Spirit).
>>>>> Concerning this, Ibn Kathir records:
>>>>>
>>>>> (Which the trustworthy Ruh has brought down.) This refers to
>>>>> Jibril,
>>>>> peace be upon him. This was the view of more than one of the Salaf:
>>>>> Ibn
>>>>> `Abbas, Muhammad bin Ka`b, Qatadah, `Atiyyah Al-`Awfi, As-Suddi,
>>>>> Ad-Dahhak,
>>>>> Az-Zuhri and Ibn Jurayj. (fn. At-Tabari 19:396). This is an issue
>>>>> concerning
>>>>> which there is no dispute . (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, Abridged, Darussalam
>>>>> Publishers & Distributors, 2000, vol. 7, pp. 275-276)
>>>>>
>>>>> Hence, it becomes clear that those who are close to Allah are
>>>>> honored by
>>>>> Him with numerous titles, and so of the titles of Angel Jibreel is
Ruh
>>>>> Al-Qudus and Ruh Al-Ameen.
>>>>>
>>>>> RESPONSE:
>>>>>
>>>>> Here is what we mean by circular reasoning. Apart from citing a few
>>>>> sources
>>>>> which believe the same way as the author does, what evidence has he
>>>>> given to
>>>>> prove that Ruh Al-Qudus ("Holy Spirit") and Ruh Al-Ameen ("Faithful
>>>>> Spirit")
>>>>> are some of the titles of Gabriel? No evidence whatsoever. Take
>>>>> another
>>>>> example, namely his reference to Hassan being assisted by the Ruh
>>>>> Al-Qudus.
>>>>> Does that particular narration identify the Spirit as Gabriel? Not
>>>>> at all.
>>>>> So where is the author getting this from? How is he proving that
>>>>> these texts
>>>>> refer to Gabriel?
>>>>>
>>>>> The last example is even worse. He cites a narration from Ibn
>>>>> Kathir where
>>>>> Gabriel is identified as the trustworthy Spirit who brought down the
>>>>> revelation, i.e. the Quran. Those reading the Quran should see why
>>>>> this
>>>>> argument is fallacious, since it erroneously assumes that Allah
>>>>> used only
>>>>> one entity to bring down the message. The reality is that the Quran
>>>>> itself
>>>>> asserts that Allah used several entities to convey the revelation,
>>>>> not just
>>>>> one:
>>>>>
>>>>> Say 'Whoever is an enemy to Gabriel' - for he it is who has
>>>>> caused it to
>>>>> descend on thy heart by the command of ALLAH, fulfilling that
>>>>> revelation
>>>>> which precedes it, and is a guidance and glad tidings to the
>>>>> believers. S.
>>>>> 2:97 Sher Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> By THOSE who bring down the Reminder, S. 77:5 Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> Then I swear by the angels who bring down the revelation, Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> The Reminder refers to the Quran:
>>>>>
>>>>> And they say: O you to whom the Reminder has been revealed! you
>>>>> are most
>>>>> surely insane: S. 15:6 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> He sendeth down the ANGELS with the Spirit of His command unto
>>>>> whom He
>>>>> will of His bondmen, (saying): Warn mankind that there is no God
>>>>> save Me, so
>>>>> keep your duty unto Me. S. 16:2 Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> Say: The Holy spirit has revealed it from your Lord with the
>>>>> truth, that
>>>>> it may establish those who believe and as a guidance and good news
>>>>> for those
>>>>> who submit. S. 16:102 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> These passages say that the Holy Spirit, Gabriel, and the angels
>>>>> (plural!)
>>>>> all brought down the Quran. In light of this, since there is more
>>>>> than one
>>>>> entity that supposedly conveyed the inspiration to Muhammad on what
>>>>> grounds
>>>>> then does the author thereby assume that Gabriel is the trustworthy
>>>>> Spirit?
>>>>> We will have a lot more to say about these references shortly.{1}
>>>>>
>>>>> He continues:
>>>>>
>>>>> 2. Critics attempt to prove that the spirit does not refer to
>>>>> Jibreel by
>>>>> quoting verses of the Qur'an that contain the word Ruh (spirit) but
>>>>> could
>>>>> not possibly be referring to Angel Jibreel because of the context.
>>>>> In these
>>>>> cases, the critics fail to realize that the word Ruh has several
>>>>> different
>>>>> usages in the Qur'an with a wide range of meanings. The word Ruh
most
>>>>> commonly refers to the human soul in religious literature,
>>>>> especially the
>>>>> Qur'an and the Sunnah. However, it sometimes refers to other than
>>>>> the human
>>>>> soul as Shaykh Abu Bilal Mustafa Al-Kanadi explains:
>>>>>
>>>>> Just as the term "nafs" has several different connotations, so
>>>>> does the
>>>>> term "ruh." It is never used to refer to the physical body (badan)
>>>>> alone or
>>>>> to the soul when it is inside the body. Rather, it has various
>>>>> other usages
>>>>> in the Arabic language and in religious literature. (fn. See
>>>>> al-Tahawiyyah,
>>>>> pp. 444-445 and Kitab al-Ruh, pp.295-296). In the following words
>>>>> of Allah
>>>>> to His Messenger (saws), it is used to mean revelation,
>>>>> specifically the
>>>>> Qur'an:
>>>>>
>>>>> "And thus We revealed to you a spirit [i.e., the Qur'an] by
Our
>>>>> command." (Surah al-Shura, 42:52)
>>>>>
>>>>> In other places in the Qur'an the word "ruh" is used to
>>>>> designate the
>>>>> Angel Jibreel, whom Allah entrusted with the conveyance of divine
>>>>> revelation. For example:
>>>>>
>>>>> "Verily, this [Qur'an] is a revelation of the Lord of the
Worlds
>>>>> brought down by the trustworthy spirit [i.e., Jibril]." (Surah
>>>>> al-Shu'ara;
>>>>> 26:192-193)
>>>>>
>>>>> RESPONSE:
>>>>>
>>>>> To begin with, we do not deny that the term Ruh can have a broader
>>>>> range of
>>>>> meaning. Our point was, as the author himself noted, that there is
no
>>>>> specific context within the Quran which identifies the Ruh as
>>>>> Gabriel. To,
>>>>> therefore, raise the issue of Ruh having a broad range of meanings
is
>>>>> nothing more than a straw man and a red herring.
>>>>>
>>>>> Furthermore, none of the texts cited lead us to conclude that Ruh
>>>>> means
>>>>> something other than the Holy Spirit. Note for instance Sura 42:52
>>>>> again:
>>>>>
>>>>> And thus We revealed to you a Spirit by Our command.
>>>>>
>>>>> All that this passage is saying is that Allah commanded the Spirit
>>>>> to reveal
>>>>> himself or make known the revelation, no more no less. This is
>>>>> quite similar
>>>>> to what the following texts say:
>>>>>
>>>>> He sends the angels with the Spirit to carry His orders to
>>>>> whichever of
>>>>> His servants He wants so that they would warn people that He is the
>>>>> only God
>>>>> and that people must have fear of Him S. 16:2 Muhammad Sarwar
>>>>>
>>>>> They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The
>>>>> Spirit
>>>>> (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little
>>>>> that is
>>>>> communicated to you, (O men!)" S. 17:85 Y. Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> Thus, the Quran is simply emphasizing the point that it is Allah
that
>>>>> commands the Spirit to come down and reveal the inspiration. Hence,
>>>>> Sura
>>>>> 42:52 is not identifying the Quran or the revelation as a spirit.
>>>>>
>>>>> We already discussed Sura 26:192-193 so there is no need for us to
>>>>> repeat
>>>>> ourselves.
>>>>>
>>>>> After mentioning the point that the word Ruh can refer to the
>>>>> senses and
>>>>> forces in the human body, but failing to provide any Quranic
>>>>> reference to
>>>>> sup****t this position, he then writes:
>>>>>
>>>>> Finally, the term "ruh" is sometimes used in an extremely
>>>>> restricted
>>>>> sense - to designate the spirit of faith which results from one's
>>>>> knowledge
>>>>> of Allah, from turning to him in repentance and from seeking Him
>>>>> with love
>>>>> and aspiration. This is the spirit (i.e. consciousness of God) with
>>>>> which
>>>>> Allah strengthens His obedient, chosen servants as stated in the
>>>>> following
>>>>> Qur'anic verse:
>>>>>
>>>>> "For those, Allah has written faith upon their hearts and
>>>>> strengthened
>>>>> them with a spirit from Him." (Surah al-Mujadilah, 58:22)
>>>>>
>>>>> In this manner, knowledge is a "ruh" ("spiritual force"), as is
>>>>> sincerity, truthfulness, repentance, love of Allah and complete
>>>>> dependence
>>>>> upon Him. People differ in respect to these types of spiritual
>>>>> forces. Some
>>>>> are so overcome by them that they become "spiritual" beings. Thus
>>>>> it is
>>>>> said, "So and so has spirit." Others lose the power of such
spiritual
>>>>> forces, or the greater ****tion thereof, and thus become earthly,
>>>>> bestial
>>>>> beings. (fn. For more details, see Lawami' al-Anwar, pp. 31-32;
>>>>> al-Tahawiyyah, p. 445 and Kitab al-Ruh, p. 297). About them it may
>>>>> be said,
>>>>> "So and so has no spirit; he's empty like a hollow reed," and so on.
>>>>> (Mustafa Al-Kanadi, Mysteries of the Soul Expounded, Al-Hidaayah
>>>>> Publi****ng
>>>>> & Distribution 2003, pp.21-23)
>>>>>
>>>>> RESPONSE:
>>>>>
>>>>> The author astoni****ngly claims that Sura 58:22 is speaking of the
>>>>> spirit of
>>>>> faith DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS SAME TEXT DISTINGUISHES FAITH FROM
>>>>> THE
>>>>> SPIRIT! The two are not seen as being one and the same, but as two
>>>>> different
>>>>> entities or qualities which Allah bestows on believers. Notice the
>>>>> clear
>>>>> wording of the passage:
>>>>>
>>>>> You will not find any people of faith in God and the Day of
>>>>> Judgment who
>>>>> would establish friend****p with those who oppose God and His
>>>>> Messenger, even
>>>>> if it would be in the interest of their fathers, sons, brothers, and
>>>>> kinsmen. God has established faith in their hearts AND sup****ted
>>>>> them by a
>>>>> Spirit from Himself. S. 58:22 Sarwar
>>>>>
>>>>> Allah establishes faith in the hearts of believers AND STRENGTHENS
>>>>> THEM WITH
>>>>> A SPIRIT FROM HIMSELF, clearly showing that the Spirit here doesn't
>>>>> refer to
>>>>> faith. Yusuf Ali correctly realized the implications of this text
>>>>> in trying
>>>>> to understand what or who the Spirit truly is:
>>>>>
>>>>> . Cf. ii 87 and 253, where it is said that God strengthened the
>>>>> Prophet
>>>>> Jesus with the holy spirit. Here we learn that all good and
>>>>> righteous men
>>>>> are strengthened by God with the holy spirit. If anything, the
>>>>> phrase used
>>>>> here is stronger, 'a spirit from Himself'. Whenever any one offers
>>>>> his heart
>>>>> in faith and purity to God, God accepts it, engraves that faith on
the
>>>>> seeker's heart, and further fortifies him with the DIVINE Spirit,
>>>>> which we
>>>>> can no more define adequately than we can define in human language
the
>>>>> nature of God. (Ali, The Meaning of the Holy Quran, p. 1518, fn.
>>>>> 5365; bold
>>>>> and capital emphasis ours) {2}
>>>>>
>>>>> It is not hard to see why Ali could dare call this Spirit Divine
>>>>> and say
>>>>> that it cannot be adequately defined, thereby likening it to the
>>>>> very nature
>>>>> of God. After all, the only way that the Spirit can be with all
>>>>> believers to
>>>>> strengthen them is if he has the specific attributes of omnipotence
>>>>> and
>>>>> omnipresence, that he is all-powerful and all-present. Yet only God
is
>>>>> omnipotent and omnipresent, therefore proving that the Spirit is
>>>>> God. At the
>>>>> same time the Quran also shows that the Spirit is distinct from
>>>>> Allah, which
>>>>> means that there are either two Gods or that Allah is multipersonal!
>>>>>
>>>>> The author resumes his analysis:
>>>>>
>>>>> Thus, when the term Ruh appears in the Qur'an, it may refer to
>>>>> the human
>>>>> soul, it may refer to Angel Jibreel, it may refer to attributes of
>>>>> faith
>>>>> which God blesses someone with, or it may refer to the Qur'an. We
>>>>> cannot, as
>>>>> critics incorrectly do, conclude that since some verses of the
>>>>> Qur'an use
>>>>> ruh in one sense, therefore all verses must conform to that same
>>>>> meaning of
>>>>> the word ruh. Such a notion would be illogical as it ignores the
>>>>> various
>>>>> meanings already associated with the word, as well as the
>>>>> explanation found
>>>>> in the Ahadith and the understanding of the early Muslim scholars.
The
>>>>> verses cited with the word Ruh include the following:
>>>>>
>>>>> 15:29 "When I have fa****oned him [Adam] (in due pro****tion) and
>>>>> breathed
>>>>> into him a Ruh from Me, fall ye down in obedience[sic] unto him."
>>>>>
>>>>> 21:91 And (remember) her [Mary] who guarded her chastity: We
>>>>> breathed
>>>>> into her a Ruh from Us, and We made her and her son a sign for all
>>>>> peoples.
>>>>>
>>>>> 32:9 But He fa****oned him [the human] in due pro****tion, and
>>>>> breathed
>>>>> into him the Ruh from Him. And He gave you (the faculties of)
>>>>> hearing and
>>>>> sight and feeling (and understanding): little thanks do ye give!
>>>>>
>>>>> 38:72 "When I have fa****oned him (in due pro****tion) and
>>>>> breathed into
>>>>> him a Ruh from Me, fall ye down in obeisance unto him."
>>>>>
>>>>> 66:12 And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her
>>>>> chastity; and We
>>>>> breathed into (her body) a Ruh from Us; and she testified to the
>>>>> truth of
>>>>> the words of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the
>>>>> devout
>>>>> (servants).
>>>>>
>>>>> In all the above verses, the word Ruh can easily be understood as
a
>>>>> reference to the human soul. Allah informs us that He breathed the
>>>>> Ruh into
>>>>> Adam, and into Mary (to give life to Jesus), just as He breathes
>>>>> the Ruh
>>>>> into every human being. ...
>>>>>
>>>>> RESPONSE:
>>>>>
>>>>> Here is another example of circular reasoning. The author has
assumed,
>>>>> without proof, that all the above references refer to Allah
>>>>> creating the
>>>>> soul of a person. In reality these passages are speaking of Allah
>>>>> using his
>>>>> own Spirit to create living beings, that the Spirit is the Agent
>>>>> that Allah
>>>>> uses to animate his creatures. Just as the late Maulana Muhammad Ali
>>>>> correctly noted in his comments on Sura 15:29:
>>>>>
>>>>> 29a. This shows that man is made complete when the Divine spirit
is
>>>>> breathed into him. It should be noted that the Divine spirit (Ar.
>>>>> ruh) does
>>>>> not mean here the animal soul in man, but the Spirit of Allah, that
>>>>> gives
>>>>> him perfection. (Source; bold and underline emphasis ours)
>>>>>
>>>>> He repeats this point in his note on Sura 32:9:
>>>>>
>>>>> 9a. This verse shows that the spirit of God is breathed into
>>>>> every man.
>>>>> This points to a mystical relation between human nature and Divine
>>>>> nature.
>>>>> The word ruh does not here mean the animal soul, because the animal
>>>>> soul is
>>>>> common to man and the animal kingdom. It is something that
>>>>> distinguishes man
>>>>> from the animal world. It is due to the spirit Divine that he rules
>>>>> creation
>>>>> and its due to the same Divine spirit in him that he receives a new
>>>>> life
>>>>> after death - a life which he lives in God and with God - the
>>>>> meeting with
>>>>> God or liqa Allah, as it is called in v. 10. (Source; bold and
>>>>> underline
>>>>> emphasis ours)
>>>>>
>>>>> Here is another Muslim that unapologetically speaks of there being
>>>>> a Divine
>>>>> Spirit!
>>>>>
>>>>> The above Quranic texts are merely echoing the biblical teaching
>>>>> that man
>>>>> became a living being, a living soul, when God breathed into him
>>>>> the Holy
>>>>> Spirit:
>>>>>
>>>>> "then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and
>>>>> breathed into
>>>>> his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
>>>>> Genesis 2:7
>>>>>
>>>>> "The spirit of God HAS MADE ME, and the breath of the Almighty
>>>>> gives me
>>>>> life." Job 33:4
>>>>>
>>>>> What this essentially means is that God's own Holy Spirit was the
>>>>> Agent that
>>>>> God used to make man a conscious being, as opposed to inanimate
>>>>> clay. In
>>>>> other words, the Spirit is God's Life force that imparts life to
>>>>> all of God's
>>>>> creatures, just as the following texts state:
>>>>>
>>>>> "When you send forth your Spirit, they are created; and you renew
>>>>> the face
>>>>> of the earth." Psalm 104:30
>>>>>
>>>>> "For the palace will be forsaken, the populous city deserted; the
>>>>> hill and
>>>>> the watchtower will become dens for ever, a joy of wild *****, a
>>>>> pasture of
>>>>> flocks; until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the
>>>>> wilderness
>>>>> becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a
>>>>> forest." Isaiah
>>>>> 32:14-15
>>>>>
>>>>> "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in
>>>>> you, he who
>>>>> raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal
>>>>> bodies also
>>>>> through his Spirit which dwells in you." Romans 8:11
>>>>>
>>>>> Furthermore, cross-referencing Suras 21:91 and 66:12 with Sura
>>>>> 19:16-19
>>>>> provides additional sup****t for our position that the Spirit in
these
>>>>> references does not refer to man's soul:
>>>>>
>>>>> And mention Marium in the Book when she drew aside from her
>>>>> family to an
>>>>> eastern place; So she took a veil (to screen herself) from them;
>>>>> then We
>>>>> sent to her Our spirit, and there appeared to her a well-made man.
>>>>> She said:
>>>>> Surely I fly for refuge from you to the Beneficent God, if you are
one
>>>>> guarding (against evil). He said: I am only a messenger of your
>>>>> Lord: That I
>>>>> WILL GIVE YOU a pure boy. She said: When shall I have a boy and no
>>>>> mortal
>>>>> has yet touched me, nor have I been unchaste? He said: Even so;
>>>>> your Lord
>>>>> says: It is easy to Me: and that We may make him a sign to men and
>>>>> a mercy
>>>>> from Us, and it is a matter which has been decreed. S. 19:16-21
Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> Allah's Spirit appears to Mary as a man and promises to give her a
>>>>> son,
>>>>> implying that he will be the one to create Jesus in his mother's
>>>>> womb. An
>>>>> analysis of Suras 21:91 and 66:12 shows how the Spirit accomplished
>>>>> this
>>>>> task:
>>>>>
>>>>> And (remember) her [Mary] who guarded her chastity: We breathed
>>>>> into her a
>>>>> Ruh from Us, and We made her and her son a sign for all peoples. S.
>>>>> 21:91
>>>>>
>>>>> And Mary the daughter of 'Imran, who guarded her chastity; and We
>>>>> breathed
>>>>> into (her body) a Ruh from Us; and she testified to the truth of
>>>>> the words
>>>>> of her Lord and of His Revelations, and was one of the devout
>>>>> (servants). S.
>>>>> 66:12
>>>>>
>>>>> It is obvious why Allah breathed the Spirit into Mary's body, since
>>>>> this was
>>>>> the way in which she was going to get pregnant! In other words, the
>>>>> Spirit
>>>>> gave Mary a son by being breathed into her, at which point he then
>>>>> caused
>>>>> her to conceive the baby Jesus. Thus, the Spirit that appeared to
>>>>> Mary is
>>>>> the same Spirit which later entered her body to create a living
>>>>> being in her
>>>>> womb! This shows that the Spirit here cannot be a reference to
>>>>> man's created
>>>>> soul, but to God's own Spirit as Creator and Life-giver.
>>>>>
>>>>> In fact, the author himself indirectly concedes this point when he
>>>>> will
>>>>> later try to prove that the Muslim commentators' claim that Gabriel
>>>>> actually
>>>>> breathed into Mary's body doesn't make him God. This presupposes
>>>>> that he
>>>>> accepts the view that it was indeed Gabriel who actually breathed
>>>>> into Mary.
>>>>> This is significant because according to the same commentators who
>>>>> identified Gabriel as the entity that breathed into Mary, Gabriel
>>>>> was also
>>>>> that same Spirit of Surah 19 who announced the birth of Christ to
her:
>>>>>
>>>>> <She placed a screen before them;> This means that she hid
>>>>> herself from
>>>>> them and concealed herself. Then, Allah sent Jibril to her.
>>>>>
>>>>> <and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all
>>>>> respects.> [19:17]
>>>>> This means that he came to her in the form of a perfect and
>>>>> complete man.
>>>>> Mujahid, Ad-Dahhak, Qatadah, Ibn Jurayj, Wahb bin Munabbih and
>>>>> As-Suddi all
>>>>> commented on Allah's statement.
>>>>>
>>>>> <then We sent to her Our Ruh,> "It means Jibril." .
>>>>>
>>>>> <She said: "Verily, I seek refuge with the Most Gracious from
>>>>> you, if you
>>>>> do fear Allah."> This means that when the angel (Jibril) appeared
>>>>> to her in
>>>>> the form of a man, while she was in a place secluded by herself with
a
>>>>> partition between her and her people, she was afraid of him and
>>>>> thought that
>>>>> he wanted to rape her. Therefore, she said.
>>>>>
>>>>> <"Verily, I seek refuge with the Most Gracious from you, if you
>>>>> do fear
>>>>> Allah." He said: "I am only a messenger from your Lord."> This
>>>>> means that
>>>>> the angel said to her in response, and in order to remove the fear
>>>>> that she
>>>>> felt within herself, "I am not what you think, but I am the
>>>>> messenger of
>>>>> your Lord." By this he meant, "Allah has sent me to you." It is
>>>>> said that
>>>>> when she mentioned the (Name of the) Most Beneficent (Ar-Rahman),
>>>>> Jibril
>>>>> fell apart and returned to his true form (as an angel). He
>>>>> responded. 'I am
>>>>> only a messenger from your Lord, to provide to you the gift of a
>>>>> righteous
>>>>> son.' .
>>>>>
>>>>> <He said: "Thus said your Lord: 'That is easy for Me (Allah).'">
>>>>> This
>>>>> means that the angel said to her in response to her question,
>>>>> "Verily, Allah
>>>>> has said that a boy will be born from you even though you do not
>>>>> have a
>>>>> husband and you have not committed any lewdness. Verily, He is Most
>>>>> Able to
>>>>> do whatever He wills." .
>>>>>
>>>>> <and a mercy from Us,> This means, "We will make this boy a mercy
>>>>> from
>>>>> Allah and a Prophet from among the Prophets. He will call to the
>>>>> wor****p of
>>>>> Allah and monotheistic belief in Him. (Tafsir Ibn Kathir; online
>>>>> source;
>>>>> bold and underline emphasis ours)
>>>>>
>>>>> Note what this implies. The Spirit, whom the commentators identify
as
>>>>> Gabriel, says he will give Mary a Son, and the commentators also
>>>>> state that
>>>>> Gabriel was the one who breathed into Mary to get her pregnant. This
>>>>> demonstrates that Muslims themselves realized that the wording of
>>>>> Sura 19:19
>>>>> meant that the Spirit is the Creator of Jesus, that he was sent for
>>>>> the
>>>>> purpose of causing a virgin maiden to conceive supernaturally. For
>>>>> instance,
>>>>> notice what the translator Maulana Abdul Majid Muhammad Daryabadi
said
>>>>> regarding S. 21:91:
>>>>>
>>>>> 207. (through Our arch-angel Gabriel).
>>>>>
>>>>> 208. (which caused her conception). (Tafsir-Ul-Qur'an Translation
>>>>> and
>>>>> Commentary of the Holy Qur'an [Darul-Ishaat Urdu Bazar, Karachi-1,
>>>>> Pakistan;
>>>>> First Edition, 1991], Volume III, p. 151)
>>>>>
>>>>> He repeats this again in his notes on Sura 66:12 (Ibid., Volume IV,
>>>>> p. 384,
>>>>> ff. 471-472). Daryabadi is saying here that Allah breathed through
>>>>> Gabriel
>>>>> to cause Mary's conception, which basically implies that Gabriel
>>>>> created
>>>>> Jesus.
>>>>>
>>>>> The writers at www.Islamqa.com agree:
>>>>>
>>>>> 1. Allaah commanded Jibreel to blow through the neck of Maryam's
>>>>> garment,
>>>>> and this breath went down and by the will of Allaah entered her
>>>>> womb, so it
>>>>> became a soul that Allaah had created. Allaah has explained how He
>>>>> created
>>>>> 'Eesaa (peace be upon him), as He said (interpretation of the
>>>>> meaning):
>>>>>
>>>>> "And she who guarded her chastity [Virgin Maryam (Mary)], We
>>>>> breathed into
>>>>> (the sleeves of) her (****rt or garment) [through Our Rooh - Jibreel
>>>>> (Gabriel)]" [al-Anbiya' 21:91]
>>>>>
>>>>> Then Allaah explains that the Rooh reached her womb, as Allaah
says
>>>>> (interpretation of the meaning):
>>>>>
>>>>> "And Maryam (Mary), the daughter of 'Imraan who guarded her
>>>>> chastity. And
>>>>> We breathed into (the sleeve of her ****rt or her garment) through
>>>>> Our Rooh
>>>>> [i.e. Jibreel (Gabriel)]". [al-Tahreem 66:12]
>>>>>
>>>>> The aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
>>>>>
>>>>> "(The angel) said: 'I am only a messenger from your Lord, (to
>>>>> announce) to
>>>>> you the gift of a righteous son'" [Maryam 19:19] - indicates that
>>>>> the one
>>>>> who blew into her was Jibreel, who does not do anything except by
the
>>>>> command of Allaah. (Question #6333: How was 'Eesaa (peace be upon
him)
>>>>> created?; underline emphasis ours)
>>>>>
>>>>> Thus, the commentators were right that Sura 19:19 implies that the
>>>>> Spirit
>>>>> was sent to create Jesus. Where they were mistaken was in assuming
>>>>> that the
>>>>> Spirit was Gabriel, a position which is quite damaging to the Quran
>>>>> as we
>>>>> will later see.
>>>>>
>>>>> The author proceeds with his discussion:
>>>>>
>>>>> ... There is some confusion because the arabic[sic] phrase
>>>>> attributes the
>>>>> Ruh to Allah, which lead some translators to render the verses as
>>>>> "[God's]
>>>>> Spirit". However, the reason the soul is attributed to God is
>>>>> because it is
>>>>> the creation of God and belongs to Him. This is exactly the same as
>>>>> the
>>>>> Qur'anic verse that says:
>>>>>
>>>>> 91:13 But the Messenger of Allah [Prophet Saalih pbuh] said to
>>>>> them: "It
>>>>> is a She-camel of Allah [Ar. Naaqat-Allahi]. And (bar her not from)
>>>>> having
>>>>> her drink!"
>>>>>
>>>>> Just as the miraculous camel presented to the Thamud, which was
the
>>>>> creation of Allah and one of His special signs, is attributed to
>>>>> Allah, so
>>>>> is the Ruh which is blown into every human being. Both are
>>>>> attributed to
>>>>> Allah as a sign of their miraculous nature and the fact that they
>>>>> are the
>>>>> direct creation of Allah.
>>>>>
>>>>> RESPONSE:
>>>>>
>>>>> Yet again the author has assumed what he has yet to prove! He
>>>>> assumes that
>>>>> the Spirit is created much like the camel of Thamud, thereby
>>>>> explaining the
>>>>> genitive on the basis that since it is a creation of Allah it
>>>>> therefore
>>>>> belongs to him.
>>>>>
>>>>> On the contrary, the evidence that we have seen thus far proves
>>>>> that the
>>>>> Spirit is not a creature, but the Creator, and that the genitive
>>>>> should
>>>>> therefore be understood in the same manner as the following:
>>>>>
>>>>> And ordain for us good in this world, as well as in the next; we
>>>>> have
>>>>> turned to Thee with repentance.' ALLAH replied, `I will inflict MY
>>>>> punishment on whom I will; but MY mercy encomp***** all things; so
>>>>> I will
>>>>> ordain it for those who act righteously and pay the Zakaat and
>>>>> those who
>>>>> believe in Our Signs - S. 7:156 Sher Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> Those who disbelieve in the revelations of Allah and in (their)
>>>>> Meeting
>>>>> with Him, such have no hope of My mercy. For such there is a
>>>>> painful doom.
>>>>> S. 29:23 Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> And certainly apostles before you were rejected, but they were
>>>>> patient on
>>>>> being rejected and persecuted until Our help came to them; and
>>>>> there is none
>>>>> to change the words of Allah, and certainly there has come to you
some
>>>>> information about the messengers. S. 6:34 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> And if anyone of the idolaters seeks protection of thee, grant him
>>>>> protection so that he may hear the Word of ALLAH (kalama Allahi);
then
>>>>> convey him to his place of security. That is because they are a
>>>>> people who
>>>>> have no knowledge. S. 9:6 Sher Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> Perfected is the Word of thy Lord in truth and justice. There is
>>>>> naught
>>>>> that can change His words. He is the Hearer, the Knower. S. 6:115
>>>>> Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> For them are glad tidings in the present life and also in the
>>>>> Hereafter -
>>>>> there is no changing the words of ALLAH - that indeed is the supreme
>>>>> achievement. S. 10:64 Sher Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> And recite that which hath been revealed unto thee of the
>>>>> Scripture of thy
>>>>> Lord. There is none who can change His words, and thou wilt find no
>>>>> refuge
>>>>> beside Him. S. 18:27 Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> Say, `If every ocean become ink for the words of my Lord, surely,
>>>>> the
>>>>> ocean would be exhausted before the words of my Lord were
>>>>> exhausted, even
>>>>> though WE brought the like thereof as further help.' S. 18:109 Sher
>>>>> Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> And were every tree that is in the earth (made into) pens and the
>>>>> sea (to
>>>>> supply it with ink), with seven more seas to increase it, the words
>>>>> of Allah
>>>>> would not come to an end; surely Allah is Mighty, Wise. S. 31:27
>>>>> Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> Allah's mercy, his words etc., are qualities that he eternally
>>>>> possesses.
>>>>> Likewise, the Spirit is one of those qualities, aspects, entities
>>>>> etc.,
>>>>> which eternally resides with Allah. The Spirit is clearly not a
>>>>> creation of
>>>>> Allah's.
>>>>>
>>>>> The author now quotes Muhammad Asad on verses 21:91 and 4:171:
>>>>>
>>>>> AND [remember] her who guarded her chastity, whereupon We
>>>>> breathed into
>>>>> her of Our spirit [This allegorical expression, used here with
>>>>> reference to
>>>>> Mary's conception of Jesus, has been widely - and erroneously -
>>>>> interpreted
>>>>> as relating specifically to his birth. As a matter of fact, the
>>>>> Quran uses
>>>>> the same expression in three other places with reference to the
>>>>> creation of
>>>>> man in general - namely in 15: 29 and 38:72, "when I have formed
>>>>> him. and
>>>>> breathed into him of My spirit" and in 32: 9, "and thereupon He
>>>>> forms [lit.,
>>>>> "formed"] him fully and breathes [lit., "breathed''] into him of His
>>>>> spirit". In particular, the passage of which the last-quoted phrase
>>>>> is a
>>>>> part (i.e., 32: 7 - 9) makes it abundantly and explicitly clear
>>>>> that God
>>>>> "breathes of His spirit" into every human being. Commenting on the
>>>>> verse
>>>>> under consideration, Zamakhshari states that "the breathing of the
>>>>> spirit
>>>>> [of God] into a body signifies the endowing it with life'': an
>>>>> explanation
>>>>> with which Razi concurs. (In this connection, see also note on 4:
>>>>> 171.)
>>>>> (Asad, Message of the Qur'an, The Book Foundation 2003)
>>>>>
>>>>> Note Zamakhshari's words carefully:
>>>>>
>>>>> . Zamakhshari states that "the breathing of the spirit [of God]
>>>>> into a
>>>>> body signifies the endowing it with life'': an explanation with
>>>>> which Razi
>>>>> concurs .
>>>>>
>>>>> This is precisely what we said above, that God endows man with life
>>>>> through
>>>>> the agency of his Spirit, implying that the Spirit is the Life
>>>>> force which
>>>>> animates God's creation.
>>>>>
>>>>> And on verse 4:171, Muhammad Asad notes:
>>>>>
>>>>> As regards the expression, "a soul from Him" or "created by
>>>>> Him", it is
>>>>> to be noted that among the various meanings which the word ruh
>>>>> bears in the
>>>>> Qur'an (e.g., "inspiration" in 2: 87 and 253), it is also used in
its
>>>>> primary significance of "breath of life", "soul", or "spirit":
>>>>> thus, for
>>>>> instance, in 32: 9, where the ever-recurring evolution of the human
>>>>> embryo
>>>>> is spoken of: "and then He forms him [i.e., man] and breathes into
>>>>> him of
>>>>> His spirit" - that is, endows him with a conscious soul which
>>>>> represents
>>>>> God's supreme gift to man and is, therefore, described as "a breath
>>>>> of His
>>>>> spirit". In the verse under discussion, which stresses the purely
>>>>> human
>>>>> nature of Jesus and refutes the belief in his divinity, the Qur'an
>>>>> points
>>>>> out that Jesus, like all other human beings, was "a soul created by
>>>>> Him".
>>>>> (Asad, Message of the Qur'an, The Book Foundation 2003)
>>>>>
>>>>> Thus, there is no conflict between these verses and the verses
>>>>> about Angel
>>>>> Jibreel as these describe the Ruh as a soul being breathed into
human
>>>>> beings. It is simply another meaning of the word Ruh.
>>>>>
>>>>> RESPONSE:
>>>>>
>>>>> Asad's comments do not address anything but actually distort the
>>>>> facts. In
>>>>> the first place, Sura 4:171 does not say that Jesus is a soul from
or
>>>>> created by Allah. That is a blatant perversion of what the Arabic
>>>>> really
>>>>> teaches, since it actually says that Jesus is A SPIRIT FROM Allah!
>>>>>
>>>>> People of the Book, do not exaggerate in [practising] your
>>>>> religion and
>>>>> tell nothing except the Truth about God. Christ Jesus, the son of
>>>>> Mary, was
>>>>> merely God's messenger and His word which He cast into Mary, and a
>>>>> spirit
>>>>> [proceeding] from Him. T.B. Irving
>>>>>
>>>>> The text explicitly identifies Christ as the Word of Allah which
>>>>> was cast
>>>>> into Mary and a Spirit which proceeded from him. The natural
>>>>> reading and
>>>>> obvious implication of these statements is that the Quran's author
>>>>> truly
>>>>> believed that Jesus existed as a Spirit even before Mary had
>>>>> conceived his
>>>>> human body. The only reason anyone would seek to deny this would be
>>>>> due to
>>>>> an a priori position which says that Jesus could not have had a
>>>>> prehuman
>>>>> existence and/or that the Quran is theologically consistent.
>>>>>
>>>>> Secondly, the Quran itself proves that Jesus IS DEFINTELY NOT "like
>>>>> all
>>>>> other humans," since no other human is said to be a Spirit from
>>>>> Allah, no
>>>>> other human being is said to be the Word of Allah, no other human
>>>>> is said to
>>>>> have been conceived in the womb of a virgin maiden, and no other
>>>>> human being's
>>>>> mother is said to have been chosen above all women. Thus, Jesus is
>>>>> clearly
>>>>> UNLIKE any other human being even by the Quran's teachings!
>>>>>
>>>>> As it stands, there is A HUGE conflict between these verses and the
>>>>> verses
>>>>> about Angel Gabriel as none of the texts cited by the author
>>>>> describe the
>>>>> Ruh as a soul that is breathed into human beings. It is simply NOT
>>>>> another
>>>>> meaning of the word Ruh.
>>>>>
>>>>> The author now seeks to deal with the deification of Gabriel whom
>>>>> Muslims
>>>>> claimed was the one that breathed into Mary:
>>>>>
>>>>> 3. Some Qur'anic commentators also mentioned about verses 21:91
>>>>> and 66:12
>>>>> that Angel Jibreel was sent to Mary to breathe the Ruh into her, by
>>>>> God's
>>>>> command. Some people have erroneously concluded from this
>>>>> interpretation
>>>>> that Jibreel is must be the speaker when the verse says "We
>>>>> breathed into
>>>>> her of Our Spirit" because he is the one who breathes the soul into
>>>>> her.
>>>>> This conclusion is false because the Qur'an often attributes the
>>>>> actions of
>>>>> the Angels to God Himself, as explained in previous articles, such
>>>>> as Who
>>>>> Takes the Soul at the Time of Death. The Angels act by the command
>>>>> of Allah
>>>>> and they themselves belong to Allah, hence Angel Jibreel's action of
>>>>> breathing the Ruh into Mary would be attributed to Allah. In fact,
>>>>> in all
>>>>> the verses which state that God breathes the Ruh into human beings,
>>>>> it is
>>>>> reasonable to assume that this occurs through the work of the
>>>>> Angels, the
>>>>> servants of Allah. This is similar to the hadith:
>>>>>
>>>>> Abdullah ibn Masood said: "The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
>>>>> blessings
>>>>> of Allaah be upon him), who is the most truthful (of human beings)
>>>>> and his
>>>>> being truthful (is a fact) told us: 'The constituents of one of you
is
>>>>> gathered in his mother's womb for forty days, then it becomes an
>>>>> Alaqah
>>>>> within another period of forty days. Then it becomes a Mudghah, and
>>>>> forty
>>>>> days later, Allaah sends His angel to it to breathe into it the
>>>>> Ruh. The
>>>>> angel comes with instructions concerning four things, so the angel
>>>>> writes
>>>>> down his livelihood, his death, his deeds and whether he will
>>>>> doomed or
>>>>> blessed." (Sahih Muslim Book 33, #6893).
>>>>>
>>>>> For an explanation of the embryological terms involved in the
>>>>> hadith,
>>>>> please read here.
>>>>>
>>>>> From this hadith we can see that the standard process in the
>>>>> creation of
>>>>> all human beings involves an angel who breathes the soul into the
>>>>> human
>>>>> body, even though the action is still attributed to Allah who
>>>>> states that He
>>>>> breathes the soul into the body.
>>>>>
>>>>> RESPONSE:
>>>>>
>>>>> The author's comments are brimming with errors and mistakes. First,
>>>>> the
>>>>> author assumes that Suras 21:91 and 66:12 refers to Allah breathing
>>>>> the
>>>>> human soul into a person. We have already seen why this is
>>>>> incorrect since
>>>>> these texts are referring to Allah's Spirit being breathed into
>>>>> Mary in
>>>>> order to create life in her womb. These passages are not speaking
>>>>> of the
>>>>> human spirit which Allah creates, but to Allah' very own Spirit as
>>>>> Creator
>>>>> and Life-giver.
>>>>>
>>>>> Second, his appeal to the hadith actually backfires against him
>>>>> since there
>>>>> it explicitly mentions an angel. Yet none of the Quranic texts say
>>>>> that
>>>>> Allah breathed of his Spirit into Mary by using an angel, or
>>>>> specifically
>>>>> through Gabriel. Hence, this hadith shows that if the Quran wanted
to
>>>>> indicate that Allah used an angelic intermediary to cause Mary to
>>>>> conceive
>>>>> then it could have simply done so by explicitly mentioning either
>>>>> the word
>>>>> angel or the name Gabriel.
>>>>>
>>>>> Third, the only reason why the author assumes that the Quran
>>>>> attributes the
>>>>> actions of an angel to Allah is because there are verses which say
>>>>> that
>>>>> Allah performs a specific act but then mentions angels doing that
same
>>>>> specific function as well. Take for example the author's appeal to
his
>>>>> article regarding who takes the souls of individuals at death. The
>>>>> author
>>>>> reasons that since the Quran says that Allah and the angels take
>>>>> the souls
>>>>> of the deceased this therefore implies that the actions of one can
be
>>>>> attributed to the other. The reader should be able to see the
>>>>> problems with
>>>>> the author's assertion. The first problem is that the author
>>>>> assumes that
>>>>> these texts are conciliatory and not contradictory. The other major
>>>>> problem
>>>>> is that this particular example ends up working against the author.
>>>>>
>>>>> For instance, the Quran does indeed mention that angels are
>>>>> involved in
>>>>> taking the souls of the deceased, BUT IT NEVER SAYS THAT ANGELS ARE
>>>>> USED TO
>>>>> CREATE A PERSON'S SOUL. In fact, if the Quran hadn't stated that
>>>>> the angels
>>>>> take a person's soul the author would have never known this. Hence,
>>>>> the
>>>>> author's statements are nothing more than a classic example of
>>>>> circular
>>>>> reasoning since he assumes that the Spirit that was breathed into
>>>>> Mary was
>>>>> Gabriel, and further assumes that the hadith that he cited doesn't
>>>>> conflict
>>>>> with the Quran.
>>>>>
>>>>> This now leads us to our next point. The Quran, by way of rebuking
the
>>>>> Christians and idolaters, claims that none of those that they
>>>>> called upon
>>>>> and wor****ped could create, give life, or cause to die:
>>>>>
>>>>> Is He then Who creates like him who does not create? Do you not
then
>>>>> mind? . And those whom they call on besides Allah have not created
>>>>> anything
>>>>> while they are themselves created; Dead (are they), not living, and
>>>>> they
>>>>> know not when they shall be raised. S. 16:17, 20-21 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> And they have taken besides Him gods, who do not create anything
>>>>> while
>>>>> they are themselves created, and they control not for themselves
>>>>> any harm or
>>>>> profit, and they control not death nor life, nor raising (the dead)
>>>>> to life.
>>>>> S. 25:3 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> The Quran even rebukes and warns individuals from venerating and
>>>>> calling on
>>>>> angels, which presupposes that angels were being wor****ped:
>>>>>
>>>>> And he commanded you not that ye should take the angels and the
>>>>> prophets
>>>>> for lords. Would he command you to disbelieve after ye had
>>>>> surrendered (to
>>>>> Allah)? S. 3:80 Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> Say: Cry unto those (saints and angels) whom ye assume (to be
>>>>> gods) beside
>>>>> Him, yet they have no power to rid you of misfortune nor to change.
>>>>> Those
>>>>> unto whom they cry seek the way of approach to their Lord, which of
>>>>> them
>>>>> shall be the nearest; they hope for His mercy and they fear His
>>>>> doom. Lo!
>>>>> the doom of thy Lord is to be shunned. S. 17:56-57 Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> According to the Quran, some of those nearest to Allah include both
>>>>> Jesus
>>>>> and the angels:
>>>>>
>>>>> Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! God giveth thee glad tidings of
>>>>> a Word
>>>>> from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in
>>>>> honour in
>>>>> this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest
>>>>> to God;
>>>>> S. 3:45 Y. Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> The Messiah does by no means disdain that he should be a servant
>>>>> of Allah,
>>>>> nor do the angels who are near to Him, and whoever disdains His
>>>>> service and
>>>>> is proud, He will gather them all together to Himself. S. 4:172
Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> Thus, we can conclude from the foregoing that Sura 17:56-57 is
>>>>> referring to
>>>>> the veneration given to Christ and the angels by unbelievers. Ibn
>>>>> Kathir
>>>>> confirms this exegesis in his comments on Sura 17:56:
>>>>>
>>>>> <Say: "Call upon those whom you pretend> Al-`Awfi re****ted from
Ibn
>>>>> 'Abbas, "The people of ****rk used to say, 'we wor****p the angels
>>>>> and the
>>>>> Messiah and 'Uzayr,' while these (the angels and the Messiah and
>>>>> 'Uzayr)
>>>>> themselves call upon Allah." .
>>>>>
>>>>> <Those whom they call upon, desire) Al-Bukhari recorded from
>>>>> Sulayman bin
>>>>> Mahran Al-A'mash, from Ibrahim, from Abu Ma'mar, from 'Abdullah .
>>>>>
>>>>> <Those whom they call upon, desire a means of access to their
>>>>> Lord,> "Some
>>>>> of the Jinn used to be wor****pped, then they became Muslims.''
>>>>> According to
>>>>> another re****t: "Some humans used to wor****p some of the Jinn, then
>>>>> those
>>>>> Jinn became Muslim, but those humans adhered to their religion (of
>>>>> wor****pping the Jinn)." (online source; bold emphasis ours)
>>>>>
>>>>> Ibn Kathir wrote regarding another text (cf. Sura 21:98-103) that:
>>>>>
>>>>> <Verily, those for whom the good has preceded from Us.> It was
>>>>> said that
>>>>> this referred to the angels and 'Isa, and others who are wor****pped
>>>>> instead
>>>>> of Allah. This was the view of 'Ikrimah, Al-Hasan and Ibn Jurayj.
>>>>> Muhammad
>>>>> bin Ishaq bin Yasar said in his book of Sirah: "According to what I
>>>>> have
>>>>> heard, the Messenger of Allah sat down one day with Al-Walid bin
>>>>> Al-Mughirah
>>>>> in the Masjid, and An-Nadr bin Al-Harith came and sat down with
>>>>> them. There
>>>>> were also other men of Quraysh in the Masjid. The Messenger of
>>>>> Allah spoke,
>>>>> then An-Nadr bin Al-Harith came up to him and the Messenger of
>>>>> Allah spoke
>>>>> to him until he defeated him in argument. Then he recited to him
>>>>> and to
>>>>> them, .
>>>>>
>>>>> <and therein they will hear not.> Then the Messenger of Allah got
>>>>> up and
>>>>> went to sit with 'Abdullah bin Al-Zab'ari As-Sahmi. Al-Walid bin
>>>>> Al-Mughirah
>>>>> said to 'Abdullah bin Al-Zab'ari, "By Allah, An-Nadr bin Al-Harith
>>>>> could not
>>>>> match the son of 'Abd Al-Muttalib in argument. Muhammad claims that
>>>>> we and
>>>>> these gods that we wor****p are fuel for Hell."' 'Abdullah bin
>>>>> Az-Zab'ari
>>>>> said: "By Allah, if I meet with him I will defeat him in argument.
Ask
>>>>> Muhammad whether everyone that is wor****pped instead of Allah will
>>>>> be in
>>>>> Hell with those who wor****pped him, for we wor****p the angels, and
>>>>> the Jews
>>>>> wor****p 'Uzayr, and the Christians wor****p Al-Masih, 'Isa bin
Maryam."
>>>>> Al-Walid and those who were sitting with him were amazed at what
>>>>> 'Abdullah
>>>>> bin Az-Zab'ari said, and they thought that he had come up with a
>>>>> good point.
>>>>> He said this to the Messenger of Allah, who said . (online source;
>>>>> bold,
>>>>> italic and underline emphasis ours)
>>>>>
>>>>> Let us now take a moment to reflect on the implications these
>>>>> references
>>>>> have on the author's position. The Quran rebukes unbelievers for
>>>>> wor****ping
>>>>> beings that cannot create nor give life nor cause death. The author,
>>>>> however, is trying to prove that Allah uses angels to create life,
>>>>> and even
>>>>> cited a hadith to sup****t this view. Instead of solving the
>>>>> dilemma, the
>>>>> author has actually ended up falsifying the Quran by his comments.
>>>>> This now
>>>>> leaves him with one of two options: He must either accept the fact
>>>>> that he
>>>>> and the hadith he narrated are correct regarding angels creating
>>>>> life, which
>>>>> means that the Quran is wrong. Or he must accept that the Quran is
>>>>> right
>>>>> that angels cannot create, which means that both he and his
>>>>> narration are
>>>>> wrong.
>>>>>
>>>>> It gets even worse for the Quran and for the author. The Quran
plainly
>>>>> teaches that angels bring death upon a person, which means that
>>>>> they do
>>>>> indeed cause death!
>>>>>
>>>>> Verily, those whom the angels cause to die while they are
>>>>> wronging their
>>>>> own souls, the angels will say to them: 'What were you after?' They
>>>>> will
>>>>> say: 'We were treated as weak in the land.' The angels will say,
>>>>> 'Was not
>>>>> ALLAH's earth spacious enough so that you could have emigrated
>>>>> therein?' It
>>>>> is these whose abode shall be Hell, and an evil destination it is;
>>>>> 4:97 Sher
>>>>> Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> Those whom the angels CAUSE TO DIE while they are unjust to
>>>>> themselves.
>>>>> Then would they offer submission: We used not to do any evil. Aye!
>>>>> surely
>>>>> Allah knows what you did. . Those whom the angels CAUSE TO DIE in a
>>>>> good
>>>>> state, saying: Peace be on you: enter the garden for what you did.
>>>>> S. 16:28,
>>>>> 32 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> Say, `The angel of death that has been put in charge of you will
>>>>> cause you
>>>>> to die; then to your Lord will you be brought back.' S. 32:11 Sher
Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> These references directly contradict the ones stating that those
>>>>> whom the
>>>>> unbelievers call upon cannot cause death since they clearly can.
>>>>>
>>>>> Before we proceed further into our discussion it is vital that we
>>>>> summarize
>>>>> the problems that have been raised in this particular section:
>>>>>
>>>>> 1.. The Quran says that the beings that the unbelievers were
>>>>> calling upon
>>>>> cannot create and cannot cause death.
>>>>> 2.. Some of these beings that the unbelievers wor****ped included
the
>>>>> angels.
>>>>> 3.. The author cited a hadith which says that Allah uses an angel
to
>>>>> create the soul of a human being during its formation in the womb.
>>>>> 4.. The Quran even teaches that angels can cause persons to die.
>>>>> 5.. Therefore, not only are the hadiths contradicting the Quran,
>>>>> but the
>>>>> Quran is also contradicting itself.
>>>>> The author seeks to interact with the passages where the Spirit is
>>>>> distinguished from the angels:
>>>>>
>>>>> 4. Other passages used by critics to argue that the Holy Spirit
>>>>> is not
>>>>> Gabriel include:
>>>>>
>>>>> 78:38 The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand forth
>>>>> in ranks,
>>>>> none shall speak except any who is permitted by (God) Most
>>>>> Gracious, and He
>>>>> will say what is right.
>>>>>
>>>>> And the hadith:
>>>>>
>>>>> "Narrated Aisha: The Messenger of Allah (peace_be_upon_him)
>>>>> used to
>>>>> pronounce while bowing and prostrating himself: All Glorious, all
>>>>> Holy, Lord
>>>>> of the Angels and the Spirit." (Sahih Muslim, Book 4, Number 0987)
>>>>>
>>>>> It is claimed that since these quotes distinguish between the
>>>>> Spirit and
>>>>> the Angels, therefore the Holy Spirit cannot possibly be an angel.
>>>>> However,
>>>>> it has been mentioned in previous articles that this is the
>>>>> Qur'anic style
>>>>> which distinguishes between Jibreel and the Angels because of his
>>>>> great
>>>>> rank:
>>>>>
>>>>> 2:98 Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His angels and apostles,
to
>>>>> Gabriel and Michael,- Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject
Faith.
>>>>>
>>>>> This verse mentions Angle[sic] Gabriel and Angel Michael
>>>>> seperately[sic]
>>>>> from the other angels, but we know that they are angels themselves.
>>>>> This is
>>>>> simply the Qur'anic style of emphasis. This was explained in the
>>>>> article The
>>>>> Number of Groups on the Day of Resurrection.
>>>>>
>>>>> RESPONSE:
>>>>>
>>>>> The passage of Sura 2:98 serves to refute the author's position.
>>>>> Note the
>>>>> wording of the text carefully:
>>>>>
>>>>> Whoever is an enemy to Allah AND His angels AND apostles, to
>>>>> Gabriel and
>>>>> Michael,- Lo! Allah is an enemy to those who reject Faith.
>>>>>
>>>>> The text refers to several different groups, i.e., Allah who is
>>>>> different
>>>>> from the angels who are different from the apostles who are
>>>>> different from
>>>>> Allah etc. This next reference says something similar:
>>>>>
>>>>> If you both turn to Allah, then indeed your hearts are already
>>>>> inclined
>>>>> (to this); and if you back up each other against him, then surely
>>>>> Allah it
>>>>> is Who is his Guardian, AND Jibreel AND the believers that do good,
>>>>> AND the
>>>>> angels after that are the aiders. S. 66:4 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> Again, there is no denying that the above reference has several
>>>>> different
>>>>> groups in view, i.e. Allah is different from the believers and the
>>>>> angels,
>>>>> and the angels are different from the believers etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> In light of this fact, how does the author KNOW that Gabriel is an
>>>>> angel of
>>>>> great rank? How does he know that Gabriel and Michael are angels?
>>>>> Where does
>>>>> the text or the Quran exactly identify them as angels? Gabriel and
>>>>> Michael
>>>>> may be jinni as far as the Quran is concerned, or it could be that
>>>>> Gabriel
>>>>> is a jinni whereas Michael happens to be a human apostle. After
>>>>> all, doesn't
>>>>> the Quran itself teach that Allah has raised up messengers from
>>>>> among men
>>>>> and jinn?
>>>>>
>>>>> "O ye assembly of JINNS and men! came there not UNTO you
>>>>> messengers FROM
>>>>> AMONGST YOU, setting forth unto you My Signs, and warning you of
>>>>> the meeting
>>>>> of this Day of yours?" They will say: "We bear witness against
>>>>> ourselves."
>>>>> It was the life of this world that deceived them. So against
>>>>> themselves will
>>>>> they bear witness that they rejected Faith. S. 6:130
>>>>>
>>>>> In light of these considerations, couldn't one make the case that
>>>>> Gabriel is
>>>>> indeed a jinni? How does the author know whether or not he was a
>>>>> jinni when
>>>>> the Quran doesn't explicitly say what he was?
>>>>>
>>>>> One way in which the author can know is by consulting the Holy
>>>>> Bible, which
>>>>> the Quran says one should do in case there is any doubt:
>>>>>
>>>>> And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We
>>>>> reveal unto
>>>>> thee, then question those who read the Scripture (that was) before
>>>>> thee.
>>>>> Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou
>>>>> of the
>>>>> waverers. S. 10:94 Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> Michael and Gabriel are clearly identified as angels in the Holy
>>>>> Bible:
>>>>>
>>>>> "And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the
>>>>> right side
>>>>> of the altar of incense. And Zechari'ah was troubled when he saw
>>>>> him, and
>>>>> fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid,
>>>>> Zechari'ah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will
>>>>> bear you
>>>>> a son, and you shall call his name John'. And Zechari'ah said to
>>>>> the angel,
>>>>> 'How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is
>>>>> advanced in
>>>>> years.' And the angel answered him, 'I am Gabriel, who stand in the
>>>>> presence
>>>>> of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good
>>>>> news.'"
>>>>> Luke 1:11-13, 18-19
>>>>>
>>>>> "But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil,
>>>>> disputed about
>>>>> the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a reviling
>>>>> judgment upon
>>>>> him, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.'" Jude 1:9
>>>>>
>>>>> "Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against
>>>>> the
>>>>> dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were
>>>>> defeated and
>>>>> there was no longer any place for them in heaven." Revelation 12:7-8
>>>>>
>>>>> Yet the problem the author will have by appealing to the Bible is
>>>>> that the
>>>>> previous revelations also make a clear differentiation between
>>>>> Gabriel and
>>>>> the Holy Spirit:
>>>>>
>>>>> "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city
of
>>>>> Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name
was
>>>>> Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And
>>>>> he came
>>>>> to her and said, 'Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!' But
>>>>> she was
>>>>> greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what
>>>>> sort of
>>>>> greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, 'Do not be
>>>>> afraid, Mary,
>>>>> for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in
>>>>> your
>>>>> womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be
>>>>> great,
>>>>> and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will
>>>>> give to
>>>>> him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the
>>>>> house of
>>>>> Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.' And Mary
>>>>> said to
>>>>> the angel, 'How shall this be, since I have no husband?' And the
>>>>> angel said
>>>>> to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
>>>>> Most High
>>>>> will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called
>>>>> holy, the
>>>>> Son of God.'" Luke 1:26-35
>>>>>
>>>>> Gabriel tells Mary that she will conceive by the Holy Spirit, not by
>>>>> himself, which shows that he is not the Holy Spirit. He isn't the
>>>>> only angel
>>>>> to make a distinction between God's Holy Spirit and the angels:
>>>>>
>>>>> "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his
>>>>> mother
>>>>> Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she
>>>>> was found
>>>>> to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being
>>>>> a just
>>>>> man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her
>>>>> quietly. But
>>>>> as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him
>>>>> in a
>>>>> dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your
>>>>> wife,
>>>>> for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;'" Matthew
>>>>> 1:18-20
>>>>>
>>>>> Here is another unnamed angel who clearly distinguishes himself
>>>>> from the
>>>>> Holy Spirit who caused Mary to conceive supernaturally while still
>>>>> a virgin.
>>>>>
>>>>> Interestingly, there is one Muslim commentary that quotes Gabriel
>>>>> making a
>>>>> distinction between the Holy Spirit and himself. Renowned Muslim
>>>>> exegete and
>>>>> linguist al-Zamakhshari wrote regarding Sura 19:16-22 that:
>>>>>
>>>>> To a distant place: to a place behind the mountain (Zion), which
>>>>> was far
>>>>> away from her relatives. Others say (that she moved away) to the
>>>>> other end
>>>>> of the country (dar). (Furthermore) it is re****ted that she was
>>>>> engaged to
>>>>> one named Joseph, a son of a paternal uncle. When people began to
>>>>> say that
>>>>> she became pregnant through prostitution, Joseph feared that the
>>>>> king would
>>>>> kill her, so he fled with her. On the way he became convinced that
>>>>> he should
>>>>> kill her. But Gabriel then came and said: 'The pregnancy was
>>>>> brought about
>>>>> by the Holy Spirit. So do not kill her!' Joseph did no harm to her.
>>>>> (Helmut
>>>>> Gätje, The Qur'an and its Exegesis [Oneworld Publications, Oxford
>>>>> 1996], pp.
>>>>> 122-123; bold and underline emphasis ours)
>>>>>
>>>>> Al-Zamakhshari was clearly confused since here he has Gabriel
>>>>> differentiating himself from the Holy Spirit, but earlier in his
>>>>> commentary
>>>>> he identified Gabriel as the Spirit who caused Mary to conceive!
>>>>>
>>>>> Furthermore, here is a set of verses where the reader can see that
the
>>>>> entity that is mentioned separately from the angels clearly ISN'T
>>>>> AN ANGEL:
>>>>>
>>>>> Or you should cause the heaven to come down upon us in pieces as
you
>>>>> think, or bring Allah AND the angels face to face (with us). S.
>>>>> 17:92 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> The messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his
>>>>> Lord, and
>>>>> (so do) the believers; they all believe in Allah AND His angels AND
>>>>> His
>>>>> books AND His messengers; We make no difference between any of His
>>>>> messengers; and they say: We hear and obey, our Lord! Thy
>>>>> forgiveness (do we
>>>>> crave), and to Thee is the eventual course. S. 2:285 Shakir; cf.
4:136
>>>>>
>>>>> (As for) these, their reward is that upon them is the curse of
>>>>> Allah AND
>>>>> the angels AND of men, all together. S. 3:87 Shakir; cf. 2:161
>>>>>
>>>>> Nay! when the earth is made to crumble to pieces, And your Lord
>>>>> comes AND
>>>>> (also) the angels in ranks, S. 89:21-22 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> The author conveniently omits to mention these texts and focuses on
a
>>>>> passage which he thinks sup****ted his position, when in fact all
>>>>> this did
>>>>> was to demonstrate the circular nature of his reasoning.
>>>>>
>>>>> He assumes that the Quran says that the Spirit is Gabriel, and that
it
>>>>> teaches that Gabriel is an angel, and on that basis produces a text
>>>>> which he
>>>>> feels proves his point that just because the Spirit is
>>>>> distinguished from
>>>>> the angels doesn't mean that he isn't an angel also. The author
>>>>> takes for
>>>>> granted that all his assumptions are sound and then proceeds to
>>>>> read these
>>>>> texts in light of his presuppositions. As the readers can see by
>>>>> now, the
>>>>> problem is that the author has failed to prove that any of his
>>>>> assumptions
>>>>> are correct. His article is nothing more than a classic example of
>>>>> eisegesis
>>>>> and circular reasoning, assuming what he has yet to prove and then
>>>>> reading
>>>>> these presuppositions into the text without having a warrant for
>>>>> doing so.
>>>>>
>>>>> Hence, until the author has clear evidence proving that the Spirit
>>>>> is indeed
>>>>> an angel we must conclude that his example fails to prove his case.
>>>>>
>>>>> If anything one can argue that the Lord who is coming in Sura 89:22
is
>>>>> actually the Spirit! After all, the literal reading of the above
>>>>> reference
>>>>> says that the Lord and the angels are coming in ranks, as can even
>>>>> be seen
>>>>> from the following versions:
>>>>>
>>>>> And thy Lord cometh, and His angels, rank upon rank, Y. Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> And thy Lord shall come with angels, rank on rank, Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> And your Lord comes with the angels in rows, Hilali-Khan
>>>>>
>>>>> There is even one text that refers to Allah coming in the clouds
with
>>>>> angels:
>>>>>
>>>>> They do not wait aught but that Allah should come to them in the
>>>>> shadows
>>>>> of the clouds along with the angels, and the matter has (already)
been
>>>>> decided; and (all) matters are returned to Allah. S. 2:210 Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> And now compare the above with what the following verses say about
the
>>>>> Spirit coming down with the angels and standing in ranks with them:
>>>>>
>>>>> The Day that the Spirit and the angels will stand forth in ranks,
>>>>> none
>>>>> shall speak except any who is permitted by (Allah) Most Gracious,
>>>>> and He
>>>>> will say what is right. S. 78:38 Y. Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> In it the angels and the Spirit descend, by the leave of their
>>>>> Lord, upon
>>>>> every command. S. 97:4 Arberry
>>>>>
>>>>> The only reason anyone would want to object to the Spirit being the
>>>>> Lord who
>>>>> comes with the angels is due to an a priori philosophical and/or
>>>>> theological
>>>>> commitment. If a person has already assumed that the Quran cannot
>>>>> possibly
>>>>> be teaching that Allah's Spirit is in fact God and Lord then he or
>>>>> she will
>>>>> clearly reject this interpretation. But this rejection would not be
>>>>> based on
>>>>> what the Quran says, but on what a person thinks the Quran teaches
>>>>> regarding
>>>>> the nature of Allah and Islamic monotheism.
>>>>>
>>>>> As Christians who accept the Holy Bible as God's authoritative
>>>>> revelation,
>>>>> we see no problem with God's Holy Spirit being identified as the
>>>>> Lord since
>>>>> this is what the Holy Scriptures teach:
>>>>>
>>>>> "Now the Lord IS THE Spirit, and where the Spirit OF the Lord is,
>>>>> there is
>>>>> freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the
>>>>> Lord,
>>>>> are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to
>>>>> another; for
>>>>> this comes from the Lord WHO IS THE SPIRIT. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18
>>>>>
>>>>> The Spirit is identified as the Lord and at the same time belongs
>>>>> to the
>>>>> Lord!
>>>>>
>>>>> The author continues:
>>>>>
>>>>> Another hadith is also quoted in order to prove that Jibreel is
>>>>> distinct
>>>>> from Ruh Al-Qudus. It contains a poem composed by the companion of
the
>>>>> Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Hassan ibn Thabit (rd). In
>>>>> the last
>>>>> two lines of his poem, he says:
>>>>>
>>>>> "Whether anyone amongst you (the Quraysh) chooses to satirise
the
>>>>> Messenger of Allah, or praise him, or help him, it is all the same,
>>>>> And
>>>>> Gabriel who is the Emissary of Allah, is with us, and indeed the Ruh
>>>>> Al-Qudus has no match" (Sahih Muslim, The Book of Companions of the
>>>>> Prophet,
>>>>> 6550, ARABIC SOURCE)
>>>>>
>>>>> In the above poem of Hassan ibn Thabit, the last line has been
>>>>> misunderstood to be differentiating between Angel Jibreel and Ruh
>>>>> Al-Qudus.
>>>>> This misunderstanding is partly due to the poor translation of this
>>>>> hadith
>>>>> which renders the last phrase as:
>>>>>
>>>>> "And Gabriel, the Apostle of Allah is among us, and the Holy
>>>>> Spirit who
>>>>> has no match."
>>>>>
>>>>> Either of the two underlined words can be removed to restore the
>>>>> true
>>>>> meaning of the arabic[sic] phrase. This poetic description can be
>>>>> illustrated using many examples:
>>>>>
>>>>> "The King has arrived, and his Majesty shall now attend to your
>>>>> needs" -
>>>>> Here "the king" and "his majesty" refer to the same person.
>>>>>
>>>>> "Don't worry, the police are here. The guardians of justice
>>>>> will protect
>>>>> you" - Again, the police are being poetically described as 'the
>>>>> guardians of
>>>>> justice'.
>>>>>
>>>>> These examples should demonstrate that this hadith of Hassan ibn
>>>>> Thabit
>>>>> does not distinguish between Angel Jibreel and Ruh Al-Qudus as
critics
>>>>> claim. Rather, it merely describes the titles of Angel Jibreel.
>>>>>
>>>>> RESPONSE:
>>>>>
>>>>> In order to illustrate why the author's appeal to the Arabic
>>>>> doesn't prove
>>>>> his case, but actually begs the question, notice what happens when
>>>>> we take
>>>>> the same text and substitute the words Gabriel and Holy Spirit with
>>>>> some
>>>>> other names and see if his logic applies:
>>>>>
>>>>> And Abraham who is the Emissary of Allah, is with us, and indeed
>>>>> Gabriel
>>>>> has no match.
>>>>>
>>>>> And Jesus the Messiah who is the Emissary of Allah, is with us,
>>>>> and indeed
>>>>> Allah has no match.
>>>>>
>>>>> And Moses who is the Emissary of Allah, is with us, and indeed
>>>>> Michael has
>>>>> no match.
>>>>>
>>>>> And John and Jesus who are the Emissaries of Allah, are with us,
and
>>>>> indeed the Holy Spirit has no match!
>>>>>
>>>>> As the foregoing demonstrates, the Arabic can just as clearly be
>>>>> understood
>>>>> to be referring to two distinct entities that had come to assist
>>>>> Hassan in
>>>>> composing poems to mock the unbelievers. After all, the Quran does
>>>>> say that
>>>>> Allah inspires even angels:
>>>>>
>>>>> When thy Lord inspired the angels, (saying): I am with you. So
>>>>> make those
>>>>> who believe stand firm. I will throw fear into the hearts of those
who
>>>>> disbelieve. Then smite the necks and smite of them each finger. S.
>>>>> 8:12
>>>>> Pickthall
>>>>>
>>>>> And also states that angels come down with the Spirit of revelation:
>>>>>
>>>>> He sendeth down the angels with the spirit by His command upon
>>>>> whomsoever
>>>>> of his bondmen He willeth: warn that there is no god but I,
>>>>> wherefore fear
>>>>> Me. S. 16:2 Daryabadi
>>>>>
>>>>> We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power: And
>>>>> what
>>>>> will explain to thee what the night of power is? The Night of Power
is
>>>>> better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the
>>>>> Spirit
>>>>> by Allah's permission, on every errand: S. 97:1-4 Y. Ali
>>>>>
>>>>> What these texts seem to be suggesting is that the angels come down
to
>>>>> instruct the messengers and prophets by inspiration from the Spirit.
>>>>>
>>>>> Thus, the foregoing considerations lead us to conclude that the
>>>>> hadith is
>>>>> simply indicating that the Holy Spirit inspired Gabriel to assist
>>>>> Hassan in
>>>>> composing poetry.
>>>>>
>>>>> Putting it simply, the Arabic text of Sahih Muslim doesn't make as
>>>>> clear a
>>>>> differentiation between Gabriel and the Spirit as the English
>>>>> translation we
>>>>> cited did. But neither does the Arabic conclusively show that
>>>>> Hassan was
>>>>> identifying Gabriel as the Holy Spirit.
>>>>>
>>>>> This means that a Muslim must turn to his religious book and see
which
>>>>> interpretation is more consistent with the overall teachings of the
>>>>> Quran.
>>>>> Having examined the relevant Quranic evidence we conclude that the
>>>>> author
>>>>> has failed to achieve his task and that the name 'Ruh Al-Qudus' HAS
>>>>> NOT BEEN
>>>>> ESTABLISHED as a title of Angel Gabriel. The author hasn't been
>>>>> able to
>>>>> provide any evidence to indicate otherwise.{3}
>>>>>
>>>>> Hence, in light of these considerations one must either translate
>>>>> the hadith
>>>>> regarding Hassan to mean that Gabriel and the Holy Spirit are
>>>>> distinct, or
>>>>> assume that they are one and the same which would therefore mean
>>>>> that the
>>>>> hadith stands in clear contradiction to the plain teachings of the
>>>>> Quran. We
>>>>> submit that the English translation which we presented is correct
>>>>> that they
>>>>> are not one and the same, and therefore in full agreement with what
>>>>> the
>>>>> Quran teaches.
>>>>>
>>>>> And in light of the mass confusion and differing opinions that
>>>>> exist amongst
>>>>> Muslim scholars regarding the precise identity and meaning of the
>>>>> terms
>>>>> "Holy Spirit," "the faithful Spirit" etc., is it any wonder that
>>>>> Muhammad
>>>>> gave the following answer when he was asked about the Spirit's
>>>>> identity?
>>>>>
>>>>> They will question thee concerning the Spirit. Say: 'The Spirit
>>>>> is of the
>>>>> bidding of my Lord. You have been given of knowledge nothing except
a
>>>>> little.' S. 17:85 Arberry
>>>>>
>>>>> Even this verse has confused many a translator as the following
>>>>> versions
>>>>> indicate:
>>>>>
>>>>> And they ask you about the soul. Say: The soul is one of the
>>>>> commands of
>>>>> my Lord. Shakir
>>>>>
>>>>> They ask you about the revelation. Say, "The revelation comes
>>>>> from my
>>>>> Lord. Khalifa
>>>>>
>>>>> AND THEY will ask thee about [the nature of] divine inspiration.
>>>>> Say: This
>>>>> inspiration [comes] at my Sustainer's behest. Asad
>>>>>
>>>>> Talk about confusion!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Further Reading
>>>>>
>>>>> http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Saifullah/t5_73.htm
>>>>> http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/gabriel.htm
>>>>> http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/spirit1.htm
>>>>> http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/spirit2.htm
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Notes
>>>>>
>>>>> {1} The readers may be wondering how we can maintain that there is a
>>>>> contradiction in the Quran since one place says the Holy Spirit
>>>>> revealed it
>>>>> whereas another place says it was Gabriel in light of our admission
>>>>> that the
>>>>> Quran mentions several entities that were used to convey the
>>>>> message. The
>>>>> answer can be found in the introductory comments on the Quran
>>>>> contradictions
>>>>> page itself. One purpose for having this page is not so much to try
>>>>> and
>>>>> prove that the Quran has errors which cannot be satisfactorily
>>>>> harmonized,
>>>>> but to show Muslims what happens when one adopts their critical
>>>>> method of
>>>>> reading the Bible to the Quran. If a Muslim wants to read the Bible
>>>>> in an
>>>>> unsympathetic manner with the sole purpose of trying to find as
>>>>> many errors
>>>>> to discredit the Bible then this can also be done with the Quran.
>>>>> Just as
>>>>> Muslims expect Christians to read the Quran with understanding,
>>>>> trying to
>>>>> find ways to reconcile what seem to be contradictions, Christians
also
>>>>> expect that Muslims will treat the Holy Bible in the same way.
>>>>>
>>>>> {2} In some more recent versions of Yusuf Ali's English
>>>>> translation, the
>>>>> notes have been changed (tampered with), in an obvious attempt of
>>>>> making Ali
>>>>> sound more in line with what some perceive to be Islamic orthodoxy.
>>>>> For
>>>>> instance, compare the version of Ali's quote which we presented
>>>>> with the
>>>>> following CD Rom version of his commentary:
>>>>>
>>>>> . Cf. ii 87 and 253, where it is said that ALLAH strengthened the
>>>>> Prophet
>>>>> Jesus with the holy spirit. Here we learn that all good and
>>>>> righteous men
>>>>> are strengthened by ALLAH. If anything, the phrase used here is
>>>>> stronger, 'a
>>>>> spirit from Himself'. Whenever any one offers his heart in faith
>>>>> and purity
>>>>> to ALLAH, ALLAH accepts it, engraves that faith on the seeker's
>>>>> heart, and
>>>>> further fortifies him with HIS HELP, which we can no more define
>>>>> adequately
>>>>> than we can define in human language the nature of ALLAH. (ALIM
CD-ROM
>>>>> Version; capital emphasis ours)
>>>>>
>>>>> This version of Ali's commentary has changed God to Allah, and
>>>>> divine Spirit
>>>>> to his help, as well as omitting the words, "with the holy spirit"
>>>>> from the
>>>>> clause, "strengthened by Allah." The Muslims obviously had a hard
>>>>> time with
>>>>> Ali calling God's Spirit divine, or with his claim that believers
are
>>>>> strengthened with the Holy Spirit. Such editing is not unusual for
>>>>> Muslims,
>>>>> and for more examples of this kind we recommend reading the
following
>>>>> articles:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://www.mostmerciful.com/savelife-of-aminalawal-part2.htm
>>>>> http://al-islam.org/tahrif/yusufali/index.htm
>>>>>
>>>>> {3} According to Moiz Amjad of understanding-islam.com, in his
>>>>> response to
>>>>> this same contradiction article, the Quran would be contradicting
>>>>> itself
>>>>> regarding whether it was Gabriel or the Holy Spirit who brought
>>>>> down the
>>>>> revelation if one of the following two things could be proven:
>>>>>
>>>>> ... It can only amount to a contradiction if:
>>>>>
>>>>> 1.. The Qur'an had given two different (contradicting) names of
>>>>> the
>>>>> angel, who revealed the Qur'an to Mohammed (pbuh); or
>>>>> 2.. There is a sound basis to believe that anyone by the name of
>>>>> 'Gabriel' could not be the 'Holy Spirit'. (The Three Contradictions
in
>>>>> Al-Baqarah 2: 97 & Al-Nah'l 16: 101 - 103; source)
>>>>> Since we have presented the sound basis proving that the entity
named
>>>>> Gabriel cannot be the Holy Spirit, then the Quran must be
>>>>> contradicting
>>>>> itself according Mr. Amjad's own proposed methodology of showing
>>>>> whether
>>>>> there is a contradiction in this particular case.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> HOW TO BECOME A ****SKIN MOSLEM - this is how: **** goats, molest
>>>> children, wear a beekeepers outfit all the time, never shower or
>>>> bath, beat your wives, learn terrorist activities at a maddrassa,
>>>> wipe your ass with stones, sell the donkey you ****ed to a nearby
>>>> village, marry a nine year-old , send your child off to an
>>>> indoctrination camp, practice thighing with little kids,
>>>> ............ Practice all those and you too could become a prophet
!!
>
>
HOW TO BECOME A ****SKIN MOSLEM - this is how: **** goats, **** your
mother (nikomak), molest children, wear a beekeepers outfit all the
time, never shower or bath, beat your wives, learn terrorist activities
at a maddrassa, wipe your ass with stones, sell the donkey you ****ed to
a nearby village, marry a nine year-old , send your child off to an
indoctrination camp, practice thighing with little kids, ............
Practice all those and you too could become a prophet !!
Elif air ab tizak mohammad !!!!
info@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or apache@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or
politicsIranian@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
moslem cartoon character mohammad and his bumchum allaah were child
molesting goat ****ers and nikomaks
_
/'_/)
,/_ /
/ /
/'_'/' '/'__'7,
/'/ / / /" /_\
('( ' /' ')
\ /
'\' _.7'
\ (
\ \
Up your ass mohammad - Elif air ab tizak!!!
info@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or apache@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
or
politicsIranian@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
|
